Japan wants six-nation talks due this month on ending North Korea's nuclear program to also pressure the Stalinist state to come clean on at least eight people it says the regime abducted during the Cold War to train spies.

Its demand has angered Pyongyang and been criticized by Seoul, which says the talks must focus on the nuclear issue.

Rice agreed that the most urgent task facing the meeting was persuading North Korea to drop its nuclear weapons drive.

"The principal goal of the six-party talks is to resolve the nuclear issue with North Korea," Rice told a press conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura.

"We have never made any secret about the fact that there are other issues that will also have to be resolved. The nuclear issue is the one that is pressing us as we return to the talks," she said.

"What we really need is a strategic decision on the part of the North that they are indeed ready to give up their nuclear weapons because without that these talks cannot be successful," Rice said.

"And finally I did note, as the minister said, that the United States continues to support strongly Japan's efforts to get a favorable resolution of the abduction issue," she said.

Rice did not say directly whether the kidnappings should be on the agenda at the six-nation talks, which are due to resume around July 25 in Beijing after being stalled for more than a year.

Machimura said he spoke to Rice about Japan's handling of the abduction dispute.

"We were able to gain a warm understanding from secretary Rice about the status of the abduction problem," Machimura said.

North Korea released five Japanese kidnap victims and their families in 2002 in exchange for an aid package but says that others are dead. Tokyo is skeptical and believes at least eight of its nationals snatched by North Korea are alive and being kept under wraps in the reclusive state.

Machimura said Japan also sought a "sincere attitude" by North Korea on the nuclear issue at the Beijing talks.

"We welcome the resumption of the six-way talks and need for there to be concrete progress at the upcoming meeting," Machimura said.

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